VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State welcomes a pair of GSC foes from Alabama, as they host West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville in Titletown for the final two regular season games on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Mar. 2 at 4 p.m. for senior night. The Blazers are currently on a season long four-game win streak heading into the final weekend of regular season play.
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page. The games also will be broadcast on the radio locally with Mike Chason having the call on FOX 94.3 WJEM on Thursday and TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM on Saturday. The games also are broadcast on www.foxsportsvaldosta.com and www.talk921.com, respectively.
The 2024 Senior Class includes: LaTrell Tate, Lee Flenor, Mike Isler and Jay Rucker. VSU would like to wish each of these men best of luck in their future endeavors.
It was a thrilling win on Saturday in Montgomery, Ala. as VSU was able to steal a win from AUM as clutch free throw shooting down the stretch from seniors Lee Flenor and Mike Isler sealed the win over the Warhawks, 100-97. Two Blazers tallied 20 points, as senior Mike Isler and junior Caden Boser each had 20 on a combined 14-17 from the field. Isler recorded a career-high eight assists in the contest and hauled in five rebounds while also snagging a steal.
Head coach Mike Helfer is in his 19th season at the helm of the Blazers, as he holds a record of 361-189 in Titletown. During the four-game win streak, VSU is averaging 86.5 points a game on .500 from the floor, .385 from three, and .796 from the charity stripe. Graduate student LaTrell Tate has been getting better as the season goes on, as the guard has averaged 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds during the past four games. Lee Flenor has been everywhere, recording 11 steals in the last four games. The leading rebounder in the GSC has also shot .680 from the floor and averaging 12.8 points over this stretch.
Valdosta State is hoping to steal the eighth spot in the GSC, as they are currently 0.5 games back of the final spot in the GSC Tournament with Montevallo facing Auburn Montgomery on Saturday in a game that could decide the Blazers fate.
West Alabama enters this matchup with Valdosta State carrying a 17-9 (14-8 GSC) record and currently sit in fourth place in the conference. The Tigers are led by fourth year head coach Nick Woodruff, who has UWA locking down the opposition. His team is holding opponents to 63.4 points a night, good for first in the GSC and seventh in the nation. Individually, the Tigers are led in scoring by junior guard Jaylen Lemons, who has averaged 14.3 points per game in his first season with West Alabama. The Flagler transfer is shooting .411 from the floor, .399 from distance, and .805 from the line. Earlier this season, the Blazers and Tigers faced off in Livingston, Alabama where UWA took care of business and downed the Blazers, 71-55.
Alabama Huntsville travels to Valdosta on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 4 p.m. as they enter The Complex for senior night. The Chargers enter this matchup with the Blazers holding a 17-9 (15-7 GSC) record pending their game with West Florida on Thursday night. UAH is currently in third place in the GSC and are currently on a two-game win streak after they defeated Union and Christian Brothers over the weekend. Alabama Huntsville is led by head coach John Shulman, who is in his fifth season at the helm after previously having spent nine seasons at Chattanooga. In his five seasons in Huntsville, Shulman has accumulated a record of 108-37 with four NCAA tournament appearances and one GSC regular season championship. Individually, UAH is led by the duo of Luke Burnett and Tommy Murr, who are averaging 15.9 points and 15.8 points a game, respectively. Burnett is first in the GSC and second in the nation in three-point field goals per game, as the junior is averaging 3.6 a contest. As for Murr, the Athens, Ala. native is ranked first in the country in free throw percentage with a clip of .939.
